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Week of April 13-17 Learning Materials
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We know it isn't easy keeping an at-home routine of educational lessons and activities and we are here to help!

Each weekday from 8am-6pm on WMHT WORLD, watch a robust suite of PBS programs with your family - right at home. After viewing programs, ranging from NOVA to American Masters, you can utilize the supplemental PBS LearningMedia materials below. Check out African history, get a lesson plan about the Silk Road, and more.

Have a question? Let us know at education@wmht.org

WMHT Reflection Questions for Parents, Families, Educators and Students [PDF]

RECONSTRUCTION

Reconstruction: The 15th Amendment and African American Men in Congress
After the war was over and slavery abolished, Reconstruction was underway. Although there were challenges ahead, African Americans were filled with unprecedented hope.

Reconstruction: The Black Codes
The end of the Civil War brought about the freedom of four million slaves. The era of Reconstruction that followed the war sought to remedy the inequities of slavery while readmitting the Southern states back into a reunified nation.

Reconstruction: Ida B. Wells- Pioneer of Civil Rights
Ida B. Wells, a journalist and owner of the Memphis newspaper Free Speech and Headlight spent a lifetime working for civil rights and women’s suffrage. She helped to launch the National Association of Colored Women and was one of the founding members of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

CITIES OF LIGHT

Alhambra Nights and All the Flowers are for Me
Inspired by a visit to the Alhambra, learn about an artist’s efforts to connect traditional Islamic art and architecture with contemporary technology and Western audiences.

Fibonacci Sequence
Learn about Leonardo Pisano Bigoll, who lived in Italy between 1170 and 1250. He was educated in North Africa, where he came into contact with the Hindu-Arabic number symbols (0-9). At that time, people in Italy were still using Roman numerals for all their calculations. Fibonacci demonstrated how using Hindu-Arabic numerals simplified calculations. Each number in the Fibonacci sequence is the sum of the two numbers before it.

THE BLACK EXPERIENCE IN BUSINESS

Maggie Lena Walker Unladylike 2020
Learn about Maggie Lena Walker, the first African American woman to found a bank in the United States in this digital short from Unladylike2020.
As well as this resource Our Inspiration: The Story of Maggie Lena Walker

Bessie Coleman Unladylike2020
Explore how Bessie Coleman became the first female black pilot and the first African American to hold an international license to fly in this digital short from Unladylike2020.

The Street by Ann Petry
In this video from the American Masters film Novel Reflections on the American Dream we meet Lutie Johnson, the African-American single mother heroine of Ann Petry’s novel The Street. The video gives an introduction to the novel and Lutie’s aspirations to find stability and independence in her Harlem neighborhood in the midst of race, class, and gender biases.

Invisible Man
This video from the American Masters film Ralph Ellison: An American Journey features a plot summary of Invisible Man and discussion of the novel’s significance in the history of African American literature.

SILK ROAD

Support Materials for the program segment.
Learn about the Silk Roadsthat began the global network that opened up trade between China, Persia, India, and the Roman Empire in this clip from The Story of China. Engage in this interactive timeline and map and these interactive features.

JOHN LEWIS

John Lewis: Get in the Way
This study guide uses hands-on activities to promote critical thinking about themes presented in the film John Lewis: Get in the Way. Students explore the work and legacy of Lewis.

John Lewis: Civil Rights Movement
Raised on a cotton field in rural Alabama, Rep. John Lewis served on the frontline of the Civil Rights Movement to end systematic racial segregation.

Civil Rights Activist John Lewis: Looking Back
Student activist Jonathan Butler and Congressman John Lewis sit down to discuss the Eyes on the Prize series and the Civil Rights Movement in this video from Eyes on the Prize: Then and Now.

JOE'S VIOLIN

Healing Through Cross-Generational Friendships
Lesson Plan to accompany the film
At the end of World War II, Holocaust survivor Joseph Feingold was in a German displaced persons camp awaiting passage to America when he found a violin for sale in a local market. Joe’s Violin charts the 70-year journey of Feingold and this violin from postwar Europe to a middle school in the Bronx, where his donated instrument helps him forge an unlikely friendship with 12-year-old musician Brianna Perez.

THE ROOSEVELTS

Home of Franklin D Roosevelt National Historic Site
Discover the Roosevelts, the family home, the Presidential library, Val-Kill, once a family picnic site it became Eleanor Roosevelt’s cottage and then primary residence.

The Roosevelts Ken Burns in the Classroom
Ken Burns in the Classroom- The Roosevelts
NO CC
Support Materials to use in tandem with the on air programming of The Roosevelts.

Theodore Roosevelt and the Western Experience
ExamineS the 26th president of the United States. TR or Teddy as he has come to be known, balanced his identity of an intellectual from the East with the frontiersman of the West. His love of nature as a boy carried on throughout his life, influencing policy decisions as president that we still see today.

AMELIA EARHART

Amelia Earhart’s Birthplace Museum
See where Amelia grew up, read news clips about her various achievements, learn about Amelia’s childhood and more.

Amelia Earhart, Aviator, Record-breaker, and Activist
Through two primary source activities and a short video, students will learn about Earhart’s passion for flying and determination to succeed as a female aviator.

Amelia Earhart Letter Archive
Analyze and interpret the letters of Amelia Earhart to understand her role in shaping her own image, and the image of 20th-century aviation, in this video from ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.

Hot Shots and Hot Jobs: Pilots Enjoy Breathtaking View and Plentiful Job Options
The possibilities for trained pilots are varied—from piloting huge passenger jets across the ocean to guiding small aircraft for police, fire and medical operations.

Milestones of Flight: The Lindberghs
Charles Lindbergh is probably best known for making the first solo flight across the Atlantic in the Spirit of St. Louis. However, Lindbergh and his wife, Anne Morrow Lindbergh, also reached other milestones in aviation.

Copters, Choppers and the Phrog
This episode of STEM in 30 will explore helicopters: their design, how they work, and the functions they play in our society.

THE WOMAN IN WHITE

The novel, The Woman in White, was written in 1859 in England. The plot demonstrates the unequal position of married women in the law at that time. “In the 18th to the early 20th century, women were sometimes institutionalised due to their opinions, their unruliness and their inability to be controlled properly by a primarily male-dominated culture.[41] There were financial incentives too; before the passage of the Married Women's Property Act 1882, all of a wife's assets passed automatically to her husband.” (Lunatic_asylum)

The Married Women’s Property Act 1882

Unstoppable: The Road to Women’s Rights
In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, Alabama Public Television is producing Unstoppable: The Road to Women’s Rights. This interactive live-streamed educational event will focus on the women’s suffrage movement, the struggle for women’s equality and the role of women in politics today.

Equal Pay: Circus Women Advocate for Suffrage

Reimagining a Buffalo Landmark: Mapping the Asylum
Explore the many historical, social, and geographical factors that influenced the city of Buffalo, New York and led to the building of the Buffalo State Hospital (now known as the Richardson Olmsted Campus).

Discovering a Landmark
Learn about the original purpose of the Richardson Olmsted Campus as the Buffalo State Asylum. Following the Civil War, Buffalo sees economic growth and a rise in population. Frederick Law Olmsted, Calvert Vaux, and H.H. Richardson began designing the 42 acre campus and 13 buildings.

Causes and Effects of the Asylum
Learn about the deterioration of the abandoned Richardson Olmsted campus and the timeline of its preservation and restoration.

Youth Mental Health
This collection is part of KET’s initiative on youth mental health and includes videos from the KET series, You Are Not Alone.

The Power of Sadness in ‘Inside Out’
In this episode of Brain Craft, we explore some science behind the message of the film, Inside Out.

Poetry Brings Happiness to Teens
The Pongo Teen Writing Project has been working with troubled teens in detention centers, mental health facilities and homeless centers for nearly two decades, taking their stories and turning them into poetry.

AFRICA'S GREAT CIVILIZATIONS

Women in Islam
Multiple part lesson plan and materials
Explore basic beliefs and practices of Islam and examine the different views of women's roles in Islam and modern American society in this lesson.

The Five Pillars of Islam
In this lesson, students explore and understand the basic beliefs of Islam as well as the Five Pillars that guide Muslims in their daily life: belief, worship, fasting, almsgiving, and pilgrimage.

The Berlin Conference of 1884-1885
NO CC
Lessons plans to be used in tandem with hour six of Africa's Great Civilizations.

The Three Questions of Economics
Students will read and take notes on the three main questions of economics. These are what to produce, how to produce it, and who to produce it for. Students will then apply what they've learned to three scenarios.

Africa: Teacher Tools: Exploring African Culture
Students will explore the role of oral tradition in African cultures. They will read articles about the daily lives of people in several African countries, and create a mock interview based on the information.

Wonders of the African World
Every culture has its own special identity, demonstrated through its music, clothing, religion, food and social customs. Throughout our African journey, take a closer look at the rich and unique traditions of the people.

Religion: Three Religions, One God
Three of the world's major religions -- the monotheist traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam -- were all born in the Middle East and are all inextricably linked to one another.

African Masks
Artist Maude Alexander shows some of the African masks in her collection and talks about how African masks are more than aesthetic artifacts.

Manjani: West African Dance
The Imani Dance and Drum Company perform the Manjani, a West African dance that celebrates an important event such as the harvest (as in this performance), a wedding, or a naming ceremony.

LATINO AMERICANS

Explore numerous lesson plans and activitiesaround various episodes of Latino Americans. Explore this timeline of important dates, become a part of the LATINO AMERICANS project, Mi Historia.

MORE OR LESS PERFECT UNION

Note: Closed Captioning is not available for this video.
Supplemental materials for the series, A More of Less Perfect Union.

THE MAYO CLINIC

The Mayo Clinic: The Evolution of Modern Medicine
The Mayo Clinic: Faith, Hope, and Science is a documentary from Ken Burns, Erik Ewers, and Christopher Loren Ewers. The film tells the story of William Worrall Mayo, an English immigrant who began practicing medicine with his sons Will and Charlie in Rochester, Minnesota in the late 1800s.

THE EMPEROR'S GHOST ARMY

Which Emperor Are You?
Being emperor of China was one of the toughest jobs in the world. Imagine you've gone back in time, and are a Chinese emperor. How would you run your empire? Play the quiz and see which famous emperor you would have been.

China’s Imperial Period
This media gallery introduces China's imperial period (221 BCE - 1911 CE) through a document from the Library of Congress and images from the Bridgeman Art Library and the CIA's World Factbook.

Chinese Artist Creates New Terra-Cotta Army
In the 1970s, Chinese farmers discovered hundreds of warrior statues made of terra cotta in an ancient burial chamber that had been around for thousands of years. Those so-called "terra-cotta warriors" have toured the world's museums and fascinated anthropologists for decades, and now a Chinese artist is crafting a new army of terra-cotta warriors for future generations to unearth. Video and teacher's guide from PBS NewsHour Extra.

DECODING THE GREAT PYRAMID

What’s in the Great Pyramid?
Cosmic particles reveal a previously hidden void within the Great Pyramid of Khufu in Egypt.

Explore Ancient Egypt
Visit the magnificent tombs and temples of ancient Thebes? In this multi-layered, highly visual interactive, view 360° panoramas, "walkaround" photos, and other breathtaking imagery shot throughout the Giza Plateau and ancient Thebes (modern-day Luxor), often with special permission.

Cosmic-Ray Muons Reveal Hidden Void in the Great Pyramid
A void as tall as the Statue of Liberty has been detected in Khufu’s pyramid, otherwise known as the Great Pyramid, using a technique of modern particle physics. While it is presently unclear what function the large void played back in Ancient Egyptian times, experts are hoping that this gaping hole in Giza’s most imposing pyramid could help answer some persistent questions archaeologists and historians have about its construction.

VIKINGS

Vikings Unearthed
Learn how a new generation of archaeologists is using satellites to uncover ancient settlements, in these clips from NOVA: Vikings Unearthed.

HORSES

Horses- Science Trek
Horses have played an important role in human history. On this Science Trek, host Joan Cartan-Hansen and her guests, will answer students’ questions about horses.

How Horses Took Over North America (Twice)
The ancestors of modern horses became so successful that they spread all over the world, to Europe, Asia, South America, and Africa. But in their native range of North America, they’ll vanish for 10,000 years. Until another strange mammal brings them back.

TELESCOPES

Galileo: Discovering Jupiter’s Moons
The telescope forever changed astronomy by providing more detailed views of distant objects than was previously possible.

Hubble Telescope: Looking Deep
Since its launch is 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope has provided scientists with a vast amount of quality data and has contributed to a number of important discoveries.

Treasures of the Earth
Learn why the James Webb Space Telescope uses gold-coated mirrors, in this video from NOVA: Treasures of the Earth: Metals. Gold is an almost perfect reflector of infrared light.

ROBOTS

Collection from Touch Tomorrow
One Lesson Plan, 14 Videos, 1 Media Gallery

LEGO Robots
Despite meticulous planning and programming by its designers, an autonomous robot can encounter unexpected challenges. This is true for both LEGO® robots and Martian rovers.

Robotics- Science Trek
This video segment from IdahoPTV's Science Trekdefines a robot, explains the 3 parts of a robot, and informs us of some of the many different ways they are used.

CARS

The Impact of Technology: Cars
This video segment, adapted from A Science Odyssey: Bigger, Better, Faster, tells the story of Henry Ford's industrial revolution.

Plastic Race Car Competition
In this video segment adapted from Pennsylvania College of Technology and WVIA, follow a class of high school students participating in a technology competition and learn about how plastic products are made.

Clean Air, Electric Cars, and Alternate Transportation: Ecosense for Living
What can we do about air pollution? As individuals, our transportation choices make a big impact.

ROCKETS

Early Rocket Ventures
The Redstone Rocket was NASA's early venture into long-range rocketry and would later be used to put the first U.S. man in space.

NOVA scienceNOW: Franklin Chang-Diaz
In this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, meet Franklin Chang-Díaz, an astronaut and scientist. Learn how he has been interested in rockets and space travel since he was a child in Costa Rica, and how he immigrated to the United States to pursue his dream of becoming an astronaut.

Speeding Up Space Travel
Learn about innovations in rocket technology that could change the way humans explore space in this video excerpt from NOVA scienceNOW: "Can We Make It to Mars?"

Blasting Off to Space!
Did you know the rocket that took us to the moon was designed in Alabama? Student Reporter Luke Partridge went to the US Space & Rocket Center to learn about rocket technology with head archivist Ed Stewart.